


When the Day is New

by alwayseven



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Honeymoon, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-29
Updated: 2013-04-29
Packaged: 2017-12-09 21:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/778086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwayseven/pseuds/alwayseven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the honeymoon square for kiss bingo.</p>
    </blockquote>





	When the Day is New

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the honeymoon square for kiss bingo.

The first photo made it online an hour and a half after they arrived in Athens. Just a grainy mobile photo of the two of them at the airport, waiting to board the tiny hydrofoil to Santorini. There wasn’t anything particularly extraordinary about the photo. To anyone who cared, it looked simply like two mates on holiday together. 

Louis got the heads up via texts from Harry and Niall and the three Zayn sent to Liam, all of them in the space of minutes. 

It was warm at the gate, the late morning September sun flooding the space in a bright, cheery glow. They were sat in a pair of chairs by the doors to the plane, trying to remain inconspicuous. Though their time was running out, if the photo had already gone online. 

“Here we go,” Louis said under his breath, for Liam only. Beside him, Liam shifted closer, not enough to raise eyebrows but just that bit that Louis could feel him. 

“On a scale of one to terrified, how do you feel right now?” Liam asked quietly, rubbing his fingers over the knee of his jeans. Louis wanted to touch him, to put his hand on Liam’s and calm the whirlwind Louis knew was there racing through Liam’s head. It matched the state of Louis’s own brain, a mess of excitement and sheer happiness with a terrifying fear of what was to come. 

He took a breath, turning to Liam. Liam looked antsy, jittery, but he kept smiling and biting his lip like he couldn’t contain the joy, like it might threaten to bubble up out of him at any moment. And that did it for Louis, calmed him down in his bones the way only Liam had ever been able to. “Like I just got married to the guy I love,” Louis said for Liam, for all the times he hadn’t been able to say the words out loud, all the times he’d held himself back when Liam had only ever given his whole self. 

Liam smiled like the sun coming out. He ducked his head, face flushed. “Lou,” he mumbled. Louis watched the way his mouth curved up and his cheeks went pink, his eyes going all soft and crinkled at the corners. Fuck it. Louis put his hand over Liam’s where it was fidgeting on his leg. He curled his fingers around Liam’s palm and held on like he could be the anchor for Liam this time. 

Louis’s phone beeped with a text from Harry. “got this in email from paul, thought you’d want it.” The attachment was a photo Paul had taken earlier, on the beach. 

It had been a long planned process. Something simple and intimate and very, very private. Louis hadn’t cared about anything except the privacy. The beach in Bournemouth had made the most sense to them, the place where everything in Louis’s life had finally come together and he woke up enough to admit that yes, this had really happened, he’d gone and lost his heart to Liam. 

Louis opened the attachment. It had been an early morning affair, not yet seven when the world was still quiet and the sky was a riot of color. They’d both worn white because it had seemed appropriate, trousers and dress shirts. Paul had gotten the moment when their officiant announced their marriage, when they couldn’t contain their matching grins and were reaching for each other with laughing eyes. In the photo, with Liam’s fingers cupping the back of Louis’s neck and Louis sliding his arm around Liam’s shoulders, there was no mistaking. 

He ducked his head for a second because sometimes when faced with Liam as his for the rest of their lives he felt like he had when One Direction was beginning, like it couldn’t possibly be this good. 

“Alright?” Liam whispered, ducking his head, mouth pressed to Louis’s ear. 

Louis made a sound in the affirmative. All he wanted now was to get where they were headed, to get Liam alone and begin working on living up to those vows they’d made each other. 

It was relatively uncrowded at the gate as they waited for departure, but somehow another photo found it’s way onto Twitter. Louis’s phone buzzed again just as the announcement was made for their flight. This time it was from Niall saying, “nice photo of you two holding hands. might be time, let us know.” 

There it was, that familiar threat of anxiety building in his stomach. It was gone before it could work up any momentum because this wasn’t something he had to hide, not anymore. When that press release and accompanying photo hit People.com all the covering up and hiding would be done. It was a terrifying, gut-wrenching prospect that brought with it the thrill of finally being free of all the lies and avoidance. 

They had one week. One week of a honeymoon before the media circus, before their world changed irrevocably, before all of that on top of launching their third album and their first US stadium tour. There was a plan. There had been an initial three-hour brainstorm, several conference calls, a meeting with the band’s lawyer. There was a plan and a back up plan and a “if all else fails” plan. Louis just had to keep reminding himself they’d known what they were walking into. 

* 

Louis asked first, once, way back in the beginning when they were mere months into a new relationship. Liam had a place of his own and he hadn’t left Louis’s in the eight days they’d been back in London. 

“We could do this,” Louis had said, only half joking, “let’s get married.” 

He let it go because he knew it was one of those inevitabilities and it would happen when it was supposed to. In the end it was Liam. Liam, who quietly bought a ring. It was Liam who woke Louis up with kisses and breakfast, who laid him out in their bed and whispered, “please, Louis, please will you marry me?” all earnest and sweet and better than anyone Louis knew, better than Louis deserved. Liam’s eyes were wet and Louis’s throat closed when he tried to say yes, had to settle instead for putting his hands on Liam’s cheeks and kissing him with three years’ worth of yeses. 

*

It was nearing one when they stepped out onto the tarmac on Santorini. It was warm, far warmer than it had been on the beach in Bournemouth. Louis shrugged out of his jumper as they waited for their driver. 

Of all the places they’d been lucky enough to visit in the years of One Direction, they hadn’t ever made it to Greece. Louis watched the sun sparkle on the water, the hills rising up dotted with white washed houses. 

He gave in then and reached for Liam because they were on holiday, they had just been married, and because Louis was tired of thinking about everything else but what _he_ wanted. 

He did it slowly, moved in while giving Liam a chance to decide if he was ready, but Liam had been ready since the beginning, hadn’t ever had the doubt and fear that had dogged Louis. 

“Louis,” he’d said once around the time of their first year together, “when you’re ready. I’ll be ready when _you_ are ready.” 

Louis was ready now. He slid his fingers into Liam’s hair and kissed him with parted lips. Liam was breathless against him, clutching at Louis’s hips and laughing a little with the recklessness of what they were doing. 

Louis had learned from the very beginning that there were eyes everywhere. That every single moment was a potential photo. And now he couldn’t help thinking that he wanted people to see.

 _Let them see_ , he thought a little wildly. Let the whole world know. 

* 

The taxi took them to the address Louis instructed and Louis felt some of the nerves at the unknown begin to slip away. This is what he wanted. 

The house sat at the top of a steep hill, gated and secluded behind a grove of cypress trees. 

“Good old uncle Simon.” Louis kissed Liam on the neck as he punched in the code Simon had emailed along with all the details of the house he’d found for them to rent. 

“You won’t be able to hide for long,” Simon had said when they were throwing out ideas of where to go to ride out the news, “but it’s out of the way enough that you won’t be bothered.” 

“Perfect,” Louis said, dropping his luggage inside the doorway. They turned towards each other. It was like habit after all these years, reaching to each other and hanging on through everything. Louis wrapped his arms around Liam’s back, tucked his face into the curve of Liam’s shoulder and breathed him in. 

When they let go, took a step back to take each other in, Liam said “No regrets?” 

Louis shook his head. “How could there be? Whatever happens with this, whatever’s coming, I get _this_.” He slipped his arm around Liam’s waist, tugging him until they lined up. “I get you.” He kissed Liam’s jaw, smiling at the way he could still make Liam shiver. When he looked up and caught Liam’s eye, he whispered, “How could I be anything but blissfully, perfectly happy?”

He felt Liam’s breath catch and Liam smiled the way he did when Louis got like this, sincere and sharing his heart when he so rarely did, like Liam still hadn’t figured out if Louis was taking the mickey or if he was being genuine.

Liam ducked his head, caught Louis’s mouth in a kiss. There it was, Louis thought a little breathlessly, another piece falling into place. 

* 

The house was all light and wide windows, a near three hundred and sixty degree view of the water, shimmering from an Indian summer sun. 

They walked through the house, opening up the shutters and taking in the reality of the place. On the hills were the stucco houses of countless photographs. At the back of the house there were steps down a rocky hillside to a private beach. 

They were waiting, Louis realized. The two of them standing in that quiet empty house with their fingers entwined, they were waiting for the texts and the phone calls and the heads up that the news had broken and they didn't have to hold their breaths any longer. 

Liam rubbed his thumb over the ring on Louis's left hand and Louis surprised them both with the sudden intake of air into his lungs, caught off guard by the way it sucker punched him. It was such a long time in the making. Not a marriage, but a truth Louis hadn't been ready to say out loud about himself, not until Liam and the quiet, gentle way he worked at Louis's defenses until Louis didn't want anything more than he wanted Liam. 

It was the reality of it, that ring that Liam had slid on his finger this morning before the rest of the world knew what was happening, with just their closest friends and family as witnesses. Or maybe it was because it was Liam, who still made his breath catch, who was touching that symbol of the most important thing Louis had ever done in his life. Whatever, Louis’s heart was a rapid pulse in his throat. 

In the kitchen there was a bottle of champagne and a note that said "Happy honeymooning." 

There were wide doors leading out to a veranda. From here Louis had the impression that they were in the middle of the sea, the house jutting out over the cliffs. 

"Come out here with me," Liam said, pushing the doors open and stepping out of his shoes. He tugged at Louis until Louis did the same and stepped out onto the patio, cool stone beneath his feet. 

The air smelled like the water. It smelled fresh and clear and a little like promises. 

Liam leaned against the railing and urged Louis toward him, pulling at his wrist and bringing Louis flush against him, giving Louis a place to stand between his legs. Liam was smiling, this breathless little grin that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. 

"I can't believe this," he said, ducking his head and pressing his nose to Louis's cheek. 

Louis didn't know what "this" Liam was referring to but it didn't matter. He understood. He made a little humming sound in agreement. He wrapped his arm around Liam's waist and cupped Liam's chin to fit their mouths together. 

*

The bedroom was a narrow, sunshine filled space taken up mostly by the bed and the windows that let in the glow of the Greek islands. 

They spent the afternoon in that bed, learning each other under a new definition. They were giddy with it, laughing into each other's mouths, hands everywhere until Louis lay panting against Liam's skin. 

"Should we eat?" Liam asked. They were sweat soaked and over-tired but unable to stop this. 

"No," Louis sighed, mouthing at the mark at Liam's throat and dragging his fingers over the defined lines of his stomach. 

Liam hummed in pleasure and slid his fingers down Louis's spine. 

On the table beside the bed, their phones buzzed almost in unison. 

Louis tried to work up some anxiety but it didn't matter anymore. It was done, or if it wasn't it would be soon, and there was nothing to do now but appreciate the week they had together, the house and the island and put off thoughts of what was to come. 

Liam reached for their phones. "Texts from Harry and Niall," he said as he read through them. Beneath him, Louis felt the breath Liam let out and knew it before Liam said the words. "It's done," Liam confirmed. "Headlining news on People.com. Harry's doing a phone interview with BBC America." 

It was relief that flooded through him down to his toes, settling in his bones. It was done. Thank God, it was done. They would deal with the fall out, with whatever was coming but it was out there and there was no going back. 

Louis lifted his head. Liam was watching him with all the certainty and emotion Louis needed. 

"It's okay, it's good," Louis assured him, trying to say without _saying_ that he really was alright. 

He did the only thing he could think of and kissed Liam into the mattress with the sun setting down around them.


End file.
